Flickering Flames
by LightningBolt13
Summary: Roy Mustang has died at his own hands, leaving Riza alone. What is she to do when there is nothing left for her? [One Shot Fic]


It's been at least two weeks since Roy's been gone. Since… The accident.

Hawkeye didn't even know how she was still holding on. Everything Hawkeye had lived her was gone. Her mother, her father…Her superior. Every night, she recalls the terrible events that befell her superior. She watched him get swallowed up by his own flames, unable to do anything to stop his fate.

She was to follow him to hell, but now he was there, and she was still here. Riza hadn't shown up to work too often, but when she did muster up the nerve to show, she couldn't manage to stay an entire day. All of her comrades were worried about her wellbeing, they all knew Hawkeye's relation with the Colonel- or General. Someone needed to check on her.

* * *

Hawkeye sat at her table, her fingers intertwined, and pressed against her forehead. She stared blankly at the table under her, her once relaxed, brown eyes now dead and lifeless. Her black and white Shiba Inu, Black Hayate, nuzzled her ankle, trying to evoke some kind of response from her. She seemed dead, so still, she didn't even flinch. Her breaths were so shallow, like she was sleeping. The phone on her table started to ring, causing her to tense up at the sound of the noise. She lowers her hands onto the table, relaxing her muscles again, directing her attention to the ringing machine. She raised her arm to answer the caller's request to talk, but the ringing abruptly ended. She froze, waiting for it to ring again. The ringing started up again, and she slowly picked up the phone and hung it near her ear.

 _"Lieutenant Hawkeye?"_ asked a familiar voice. _"Lieutenant? Are you there?"_ his voice sound uneasy. Riza sighed before responding.

"Yes, Edward…?" she tried to sound like her normal, cool, collected self, but just talking made her want to cry. Her throat tightened, and her eyes burned with the tears welling up in her eyes. _"Lieutenant, Al and I are going to visit you. We… we need to make sure you're okay."_ The life returned to the Lieutenant's eyes, as she gasped deeply.

"NO! Don't.. Don't come over," she had raised her voice by mistake, she probably startled him. She cleared her throat and tried to restate herself. "Edward, you don't need to visit. I need my time alone."

"Lieutenant please, it's been two weeks, and you still haven't told me what happened. We're very concerned."

"Edward."

"Lieutenant." He hardened his voice, letting Hawkeye now that he wouldn't let down.

The tension between the callers was really strong. Edward sighed. "I'm sorry Lieutenant, but we need to check on you." Before she had any time to deny him, she heard the clicking of him hanging up the phone.

Knowing Edward, he would show up anyway, with her approval or not. Alphonse and Edward had been staying in Central for a few weeks, so they would arrive very shortly. She hung up the phone and slouched back into her seat. She hadn't even realized she had gotten to her feet in the midst of her slight argument with Edward. They shouldn't have to see her like this, but she needed Roy. She needed to BE with Roy. Hawkeye realized what she needed to do. She gazed up at the ceiling, rethinking about her decision, at least a hundred times. But sitting around and thinking wouldn't help anything. Riza got up out of her chair, kneeling her head and staring at the floor. She slogged her way over too a drawer that was leaning against her wall. She slid opened the top shelf, to reveal her gun, placed neatly in the middle. She tried to keep her face cold and stern, trying not to let her emotions surface.

She retrieved the gun from the drawer, not even bothering to close the drawer. Hayate carefully watched her as she made her way back to the table. Hawkeye was horrified at what she was going to do. She placed her weapon on the table, her hand firmly wrapped around it. Riza began to recall the events of the night that led to Roy's death.

* * *

 _The breeze was cool, for a summer evening. Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye were getting fresh air from the stuffy hospital environment. It was awkwardly quiet between them. It was hard to think of any conversation topics other than the hospital life and anything concerning the Promised Day._

 _"Uhm… Riza." Mustang broke the silence, which caught Hawkeye off guard._

 _"Yes, Colonel?"_

 _Roy snickered, hearing that she called him by his rank in public. "You don't need to call me Colonel outside, Riza. It's just us."_

 _"Okay," The silence resurfaced between them. "Is there a specific reason you wanted me with you right now?" Roy felt a tinge of nervousness with the Lieutenant's question. "Why yes, there is," Riza looked up at him, curiousity reflecting in her beautiful brown eyes. Mustang looked back into her eyes, trying to keep his composure, but he couldn't stop the blood rising to his cheeks. He cleared his throat and continued._

 _"Riza, while we were in the hospital. I had been trying to figure out how to do something special for you with my alchemy."_

 _Hawkeye blinked, flattered that he told her this. She felt her face starting to heat up herself._

 _"Stand back, Hawkeye. I haven't actually attempted this yet, so keep your distance."_

 _She obeyed, taking a few steps back. Roy raised his hands out of his pockets and slipping on his gloves. He prepared to ignite the air, his middle finger pressed against his thumb. His fingers slid past each other, igniting a spark, leading to flames._

 _The air lit up and formed a little flaming heart for the Lieutenant to see. Roy turned back and gave a warm smile for the Lieutenant._

 _"My heart burns for you, Lieutenant," Mustang's smile cracked into a wide grin, and he bent over laughing. "I'm sorry, that was cheesy." He said between laughs. Riza giggled._

 _"Don't apologize, Colonel. I love it." Riza's relaxed expression quickly tuned into a look of horror. Mustang's laugher halted when he saw the excitement halter from the Lieutenant's face. He turned around to face the flames that quickly expanded in the air. Like a balloon, the flames engulfed Roy's body and there was nothing either of them could do to save him._

* * *

Hawkeye was still out of her chair, stilling firmly holding the gun in her hand. He face tightened from crying, her tears dripped on the floor from under her chin. Her breathing stuttered, and her whole body trembled as she raised the gun under her chin.

Edward and Alphonse rounded the corner of the hallway and made their way to the door Lieutenant Hawkeye lived behind. Ed held a white vase under his right arm, as Al held a bouquet of flowers with his left hand, and used his cane to sturdy himself under his right hand. Edward was about to knock on the door, but heard a peculiar noise from inside the apartment.

Her thumb pulled back the hammer of the gun, causing the barrel to roll and click. Edward realized what she was doing, why she _really_ didn't want him to visit. His eyes widened in horror, while his younger brother looked at him, concerned. Edward lifted up his automail leg, and kicked at the door with all of his force, knocking the door off of his hinges revealing Lieutenant Hawkeye holding her gun up under her chin. Edward rushed into her room, about to rip the gun from her hands. Hawkeye squeezed the trigger before Edward could interfere. The loud noise of the gun firing rung in the brothers' ears as it rung through the hallway, the Lieutenant's blood splattering on Edward's face.

The brothers' stood idly as the Lieutenant's body crumpled to the ground, the blood spreading from the two wounds left through her head. With the Lieutenant's suicide engraved into the two boy's memories, they stood there, awestruck as they failed to stop another person's death. But she did as she was ordered by her superior, she was to follow him to hell.


End file.
